Next week, at CES, every tech company in the world will be under one roof to show off the products they believe will change the world. Every company except Apple.
Although Apple won't be at CES, its influence will be evident everywhere, from ultrabooks to smartphones. However, the biggest influence Apple will have at CES 2013, with a product it hasn't built yet, is with the mythical iTV.
Everyone is afraid of what will happen when Apple releases iTV, because it will give it a virtual monopoly on all consumer screens (smartphones, laptops, tablets and TVs). So, logically, we will see a lot of Smart TVs next because everyone is trying to predict what Apple will do so they can do it first.
Smart TV
The Apple iTV is likely to come with an operating system that will allow users to access all their cable TV and iTunes video content through an easy-to-use interface. Additionally, it will either have motion sensors, like Kinect, or accept voice commands, like Siri, while it will be very thin and have an aluminum frame. All of these are unfounded rumors, but that doesn't mean Apple's competitors won't believe it can be done, so their products will definitely have such elements.
Expect to see a lot of TVs at this year's CES, with more sophisticated UIs and more advanced content integration. No one has perfected streaming video over the internet on TVs, but everyone will be trying at CES. Some will have used Google TV to bring better features to their devices, while others will have created their own solution.
We will definitely see TVs with motion sensors and we will definitely see many more with 4K resolution. However, companies will have focused their attention more on usability and bringing advanced features to their products so that they can start eating into the cable companies' pie.
Set Top Box
Not every company wants to make its own TV, but everyone wants a piece of the market. Intel may or may not show off its own set-top box at CES that will stream video to your TV via a subscription service, while also having traditional content like sports. There are also rumors that Microsoft will show off the next Xbox, which will focus more on content playback than gaming. All the major companies that don't make TVs are likely to start making their own set-top boxes in the near future.
Some will try to innovate with the DVR while others will make devices that will stream content from the internet, like the Apple TV. There is already the Roku and the Google TV box that compete with the Apple TV, but it is certain that many set top boxes will appear that will want to get between your television and the cable companies, before the iTV comes to cut everything off.
Tv Apps
No, we don't mean apps that will run directly on your TV (although that's coming soon). We mean apps for iPhone and iPad that will improve the way we watch TV. We've already heard about a few apps that want to bring augmented reality to our living rooms. Others want to be the Shazam of TV. And if someone can integrate live Twitter commentary into their sports or show, then they're a winner.
But beyond the above, we will definitely see many other products at CES, which we have seen in the past but will be redesigned and closer to perfection. In addition, we will definitely see new TV accessories as well as sound systems that will support the Lightning connector and AirPlay.
The best thing about CES is that you'll see products that no one has ever seen before, like the iPad that displayed holograms. There will definitely be "magical" products and there will definitely be devices that we all want.
Dimitrios Georgoulas @ GreekAppleNews
